Hugh Jackman: information about basal cell carcinoma

It’s great to see him using his recent cancer experience to encourage men to see their doctor straight away if they notice changes to their body, which is an important message to share. Men are more likely to get cancer, and to die from it, than women – so it’s crucial to do all we can to help men reduce the risk, and spot cancers early.

We’ve also noticed that celebrity stories like this increase the number of people searching our website for more information about particular cancers, so we’ve pulled together our information on basal cell carcinoma below.

What is basal cell carcinoma?

Basal cell carcinoma is extremely common. It’s not only the most common type of skin cancer, but also the most common type of cancer in general.

Hearing the words “you have cancer” can be scary, but the good news is that basal cell skin cancers are highly treatable and almost always cured.

Basal cell carcinomas are often on the face or other parts of the body that are regularly exposed to the sun.

How is basal cell carcinoma treated?

The main treatment for basal cell cancer is surgery to remove the cancer – Mr Jackman had a skin lesion removed from his nose. But other treatments like radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy can also be helpful.

The medical team take into account the size, stage and extent of the cancer when deciding which treatment is going to be best. Sometimes if the cancer is only on the surface of the skin it can be treated with a cream that stimulates the immune system to get rid of the cancer.

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